Container for a slush beverage

ABSTRACT

A container for a slush beverage ( 10 ) with a side wall ( 11 ) and a base ( 12 ). The side wall includes a collapsible means ( 15 ) to facilitate partial collapse such that a frozen beverage within the container is crushed by manual gripping in a bellows-like action. Preferably the container also includes a lid ( 14 ) that forms a second compartment ( 18 ) for a second liquid to be mixed with the first in use. Also disclosed is a method of preparing a slush for dispense whereby hollow regions are created in an accreted ice structure as it is freezing.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a container for a slush beverage, particularly a package for a beverage that is to be frozen to a slush in a home freezer.

BACKGROUND ART

Frozen or “slush” beverages are a large market. Such products are commonly provided at a beverage outlet, produced by dispensing flavoured crushed ice from a relatively large machine. Alternatively, a product can be specially formulated to have slush characteristics when placed in a domestic freezer. There is a science to how these formulations are understood and manipulated.

When a slush formulation is quiescently frozen, the subsequent ice crystals will accrete over time forming a network that will require shear to disrupt the network and enable flow. The amount of shear required will increase as the ice content increases which is dictated by the slush formulation and the freezer temperature. Currently different forms of packaging exist that can be used to store a slush in a freezer cabinet during the freezing process but these forms have varying functionality in terms of slush shear and consumer acceptability.

If the packaging is totally rigid such as a glass bottle, the necessary shear required to disrupt accreted ice crystals can only be generated by shaking the container. This is an acceptable solution for slush systems of low ice content where shaking causes movement of the frozen structure and the resulting flow of the unfrozen liquid phase is sufficient to generate shear forces that cause disruption low of density of accretion points.

As the ice content in the slush increases, a shear force is required that initially fractures the accreted ice structure. This disruption of accreted ice crystals results in partial release of trapped unfrozen liquid that acts as a lubricant and permits flow. This normally would be introduced by squeezing the container. The most extreme example of a deformable pack is a plastic pouch. The consumer can easily squeeze the packaging delivering sufficient force to disrupt the structure and this is made easier by the normally high surface area of a pouch which is typically flat in appearance. The squeezing results in disruption of an accreted ice network but also adds complication in that this squeezing action results in compressed ice which may not flow and the consumer may have to squeeze the pouch to dispense the slush from the packaging. As pouches are typically made from easily deformable materials they have very low bulk elastic properties and do not return to their original shape after squeezing. This results in an appearance that is not at all suitable for a quality beverage product and does not permit the introduction of further shear through shaking as the squashed and convoluted shape does not permit slush flow.

Slush products have been formulated for the take-home market with varying degrees of success. The problems experienced by consumers are a combination of formulation (product may freeze too hard in cooler domestic freezers) and inconvenient packaging.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to primarily address the second problem; that of providing a convenient take-home package for a slush beverage that can be used with a domestic freezer. By its nature the invention may also affect (broaden) the flexibility of product formulation for a slush beverage.

In one broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a container for a slush beverage with a side wall and a base, wherein the side wall includes a collapsible means to facilitate partial collapse of the side wall such that a frozen beverage within the container is crushed by manual gripping of the side wall.

This solution causes initial fracture of the accreted ice structure by manually squeezing (semi-rigid, elastic) packaging that results in the structure fracturing and moving into a cavity. The invention achieves a desired effect by creating a void in the frozen structure. By squeezing the pack either side of the void means that the force required to carry out the squeezing process is reduced as the accreted ice is no longer a single cylinder and the upwards movement permits more rapid structure failure in the ice network generating the ideal starting point prior to further shaking.

Preferably the container includes a lid. In a preferred embodiment the lid includes a compartment for a second liquid. That compartment is sealed from the container by a membrane that, in use, is pierced by a piercing means activated by the user.

A cylindrical bottle of semi-rigid material such as PET, PP or LDPE is an ideal packaging for the invention. This permits initial disruption of the accreted network by squeezing the packaging which through its high elastic characteristics, returns to its original shape allowing the consumer to deliver further shear through shaping the product. This is known to deliver functionality where it is possible to carry out the initial squeezing of a pack. The restrictions to a consumer being able to carry out the initial squeezing of a pack are the ice content of the slush and the fact that crushing across a cylinder results in minimal fracture of the ice network.

Accordingly, the invention is intended to be moulded from relatively rigid plastics such that it is self supporting (stands upright when empty) on its base. Also, by virtue of the rigid plastics, the collapsible means is resilient to spring back into its original form.

The preferred form of collapsible means is at least one longitudinal indent (channel, groove or ridge), preferably two such opposing indents, in the side wall that enable a bellows-like action of side wall collapse.

The “bellows” shape of the preferred embodiment facilities squeezing and, when the side wall is tapered outwardly toward the mouth, forces ice slush (upward) away from the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a pictorial view of a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a section perspective view of a second embodiment,

FIG. 3 shows a series of section perspective views illustrating use of the first embodiment, and

FIG. 4 shows a series of section views illustrating a third embodiment.

MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A first embodiment of a container according to the present invention is shown by FIG. 1 wherein the container 10 is formed by a tapered side wall 11 and a base 12 upon which it may stand upright on a flat surface.

An open rim 13 of container 10 is covered by a lid means 14, the detail of which will be described with reference to FIG. 3 below. Side wall 11 includes a longitudinal indented portion 15 that provides the collapsible means of the invention. Opposing indents 15 enable the container 10 to be squeezed by a user to partially collapse and crush contents (ice) in the container. By virtue of a rigid plastic construction the collapsible means will spring back to the form illustrated.

Indents 15 also form corresponding indents in the frozen contents of the container which facilitates ice break up in use.

The section drawings (i.e. all other figures) show that the indent 15 is a single channel extending from a mid-point on one side of the container under and around the base 12 to a corresponding mid-point on the opposite side of the container. This forms a bellows-like shape as previously described.

Alternative embodiments of the invention may have two or more complete channels (or three or more indents), i.e. such that the container collapses from four sides at once.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of lid 14 that includes a press button 16, the mechanism of which is detailed in FIG. 3.

Lid 14 has a dome shape 17 that forms a compartment 18 with a membrane seal 19 adhered to the rim 20 of the lid (in preference to being adhered to the rim 13 of container 10). Button 16 extends to a piercing means 21 that, at rest, is positioned above the membrane 19.

In use a first liquid is contained within container 10 and formulated to be substantially frozen in a domestic freezer. A second liquid is contained in the compartment 18 within the lid 14. This second liquid is formulated such that it does not freeze in the ambient temperature of a domestic freezer (e.g. −12° C.). Accordingly, when press button 16 is depressed, piercing means 21 ruptures membrane 19 and releases the second liquid into the container 10. At the same time or shortly thereafter, collapsible means 15 is activated by squeezing sidewall 11 by hand in the direction of arrows A (FIG. 1), forcing frozen liquid within the container 10 upwards. This creates a gap to permit the second liquid to surround the ice as it falls. After several squeezes, and shaking if necessary, the first and second “liquids” are mixed forming a slush in the container 10. Lid 14 can be removed (e.g. unscrewed by virtue of a thread or removal of an anti-tamper device) for the slush to be poured or drunk directly from the container 10.

It should be noted that, preferably, the first liquid is filled to approximately the level of the indents 15 allowing plenty of free movement for mixing in container 10.

FIG. 3 shows the progression of piercing means 21 through membrane 19. The container of the invention is intended to be single use so no spring back mechanism is required for press button 16.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 is the same in operation as FIGS. 1 and 3, except that the piercing button 21 is housed in a separate insert 22 fixed to the inside of lid 14. As such, all of lid 14 is a deformable plastic enabling a user to press area 23 to activate button 21 to pierce membrane 19. The advantage of this arrangement is that the top dome 17 of lid 14 is one piece and inherently sealed, whereas the provision of a button 16 extending through the dome 17 (FIGS. 1 and 3) requires a seal to prevent the second liquid from leaking around button 16.

FIG. 4 illustrates a third embodiment where an alternative to the press button mechanism is employed.

Lid 14 is again formed as a dome shape 17 with a membrane seal 19 providing a compartment 18 to contain a second liquid. The rim 20 of lid 14 is initially spaced apart from rim 13 of container 10. This separation may be by virtue of a threaded engagement or bayonet type fitting, etc.

As a downward force is applied to area 23 of the dome 17 by the user, membrane 19 is brought into contact with a blade edge 24 fixed to the inside wall of the container 10 adjacent rim 13. There may be a plurality of such blades 24.

Continued pressing punctures membrane 19 and the second liquid escapes compartment 18. The lid 14 may then be twisted to make a circular cut in membrane 19 as it turns. The second liquid is then released more quickly.

In other respects the mixing process is the same; container 10 is squeezed by virtue of the collapsible means 15 and shaken.

All embodiments of the present invention provide a simple, reliable way of producing a slush product by use of a domestic freezer. The illustrated package is to be filled with two liquid components that can be formulated by methods known in the art, namely a first liquid that will freeze to convert a high percentage of its water content to ice (but not a solid block as would be the case with water alone), and a second liquid that should remain in liquid form in a freezer. Either or both liquids may contain alcohol.

The invention provides somewhat of a novel user experience for producing a slush which is part of its appeal. It seeks to deliver an “ideal slush” to a consumer as discussed below.

The ideal slush should be a flowing liquid containing ice crystals. This can be currently achieved by inconvenient processing routes where the ice crystals are physically dispersed in the unfrozen liquid through continual shear, eg, Slushie machines or using a kitchen blender with ice cubes and a liquid. When a slush is produced statically in a freezer, ice crystals form and over time they will accrete. This accretion process creates a structure or network of ice that traps the unfrozen liquid inside the structure. Applying manual disrupting and shear to the structure inside a container only partially releases this unfrozen phase from the structure, a significant amount will remain trapped.

Quiescently freezing a slush will result in a polydisperse size range of random shaped small ice crystals. These crystals have a relatively high surface area and poor packing behaviour. Therefore at ice contents well below the maximum packing fraction of polydisperse spheres, we will see maximum packing characteristics of ice crystals. Therefore at higher ice contents, the characteristics of a quiescently frozen slush will become more rigid, approaching the mechanical properties of ice. Under these conditions, the simple fracturing and shaking of a structure may not yield the expected flowing slush characteristics. This could be related to the fact that the layer of unfrozen liquid coating each ice crystal is insufficient to create a continuous flowing phase.

In the present invention it is intended to prevent the majority of unfrozen liquid being trapped in the accreted ice network. A small percentage of unfrozen liquid is still required in the accreted ice network to prevent the ice forming as a single crystal.

By the use of the two-compartment container for a slush beverage described above, cracks and fissures can be introduced into the ice network, allowing the unfrozen liquid to permeate. This then acts as a continuous phase permitting flow but can also be used to introduce shear through further squeezing and shaking of the pack. As the ice network does not break into individual ice crystals but rather chunks of accreted crystals, less unfrozen liquid is required to coat the surface and permit flow.

Alternative arrangements that separate the compartments may be possible, i.e. replacing the membrane with another mechanism. Such an alternative mechanism may be a rigid membrane that is lifted to allow communication between the compartments.

The illustrated embodiments show two-compartment packages, however, it is possible that through special formulation the invention may comprise only a single compartment and liquid. As such the container will not require a piercing structure or membrane.

The effect can also be achieved by adding ambient liquid instead of liquid from the freezer but the impact will be to begin to melt the ice crystals and reduce the duration that the liquid will remain as a slush. This is less desirable.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The invention can be manufactured using available manufacturing technology. Plastics may be selected for rigidity, yet flexibility, suitable for final use.

It should also be noted that a similar effect of the packaging of the invention could be achieved by a method whereby hollow regions in the accreted ice structure are created as it is freezing. 

1. A container for a slush beverage with a side wall and a base, wherein the side wall includes a resiliently collapsible means to facilitate the side wall's partial collapse and spring back to shape, such that a frozen beverage within the container is crushed by manual gripping of the side wall.
 2. The container of claim 1 further including a lid.
 3. The container of claim 2 wherein the lid includes a compartment for a second liquid.
 4. The container of claim 3 wherein the compartment is sealed from the container by a membrane that, in use, is pierced by a piercing means activated by the user.
 5. The container of claim 1 wherein the container is moulded from relatively rigid plastics such that the collapsible means is resilient to spring back into its original form.
 6. The container of claim 1 wherein the collapsible means is at least one longitudinal indent, channel, groove or ridge.
 7. The container of claim 6 wherein there are two opposing indents in the side wall that enable a bellows-like action of side wall collapse.
 8. The container of claim 1 wherein the side wall is tapered outwardly away from the base.
 9. A method of preparing a slush for dispense whereby hollow regions are created in an accreted ice structure as it is freezing. 